Speech Two

By Cody Dennison
Hi my name is Cody Dennison and Im going to share with you
today about avalanches
1. Introduction
a. According to national geographic about 150 people worldwide
each year die from avalanches most are snowmobilers, skiers, and
snowboarders.
b. How many of you in this class are planning on going skiing or
snowboarding this winter. Well I want to inform you today what
types of avalanches there are and how you can prepare yourself
before you go out this winter so if you do see one you will know
what to do.
c. There are two main types of avalanches and they both can kill you.
Everyone goes out skiing or snowboarding but they dont all make
I back. This winter be the ones to make it back. If you only
remember one thing for my speech today remember this. Go out
skiing and snowboarding and have fun but always watch your
back.
d. Today Im going to talk about the two different types of
avalanches, and how you can prepare yourself before you go up in
the mountains in case you do see an avalanche.

2. Body point 1
a. The first type of avalanche I will be talking about is a slab
avalanches. These are the most dangerous types.
b. A slab avalanche is basically a cohesive layer of snow sitting on a
weaker layer. This means that the snow underneath is unstable and
can break away at any time. Once the snow breaks away it reaches
speed up to 80 mph and there is usually no escape. This is what
makes slabs the most dangerous type of avalanche.
c. These slab avalanches are most common at the end of winter
because we constantly get new snow throughout the winter all this
snow piles up and piles up but the old snow underneath becomes
unstable. The top layer of snow can look so nice but once you
make a run down it everything thing can change from good to bad.
d. The best way to prevent this type of avalanche from occurring is to
stay on the main trails and not to stray too far from the parks.
When you do go in the back country though you should watch out
for snow where it is cracking or looks unstable and try to avoid
those areas.

3. Body point 2

a. The second type of avalanche is Loose snow avalanche. This type

of avalanche is not as dangerous as the slab avalanche because
they tend to fracture beneath you as you cross over the slope
instead of above you like the slab avalanches do.
b. In 90 percent of avalanche incidents, the snow slides are triggered
by the victim or someone in the victim's party. This means its up
to you to prevent them from happening.
c. Loose snow avalanches usually start off from a small point then
get larger and spread out as they descend down the slope. These
are dangerous if you happen to be underneath them because they
can reach up to 100mph and there is usually no chance in
outrunning them.
d. Although loose avalanches might not be as dangerous as slab
avalanches they occur more often. This means you have a higher
probability of seeing this type of avalanche. Loose snow
avalanches fracture beneath you so as long as you can stay higher
then it on the slop you will be just fine.

4.Body point 3

a. The last thing I want to share with you is how to prevent

avalanches and what safety precautions you should take when you
go out in the mountains this year.
b. Thousands of avalanches happen every year. They make a device
its an ARVA avalanche search beacon. Skiers and snowboarders
who are going in avalanche prone areas should wear these so if
someone gets caught in an avalanche it will transmit a signal out
to the other people who have one and they can start searching for
you.
c. According to national geographic Once the avalanche stops, it
settles like concrete Statistics show that 93 percent of avalanche
victims survive if dug out within 15 minutes. Then the survival
rates drop fast. After 45 minutes, only 20 to 30 percent of victims
are alive. After two hours, very few people survive.
d. You can help prevent this by always going with a group of people
and make sure everyone in you group has an ARVA device and
knows how to use it. Also if youre going down a slope have one
person run it at a time so if an avalanche does happen someone is
always up at the top of the hill and can come down the slope and
start searching for you. And I guess the last person to make the run
is just scrued if an avalanche does happen.

5.Conclusion

a. In conclusion go out in the mountains and back county this winter

and have fun but just remember to be safe while doing so.
b. Watch out for the signs of an avalanche occurring and always wear
an ARVA beacon and make sure you know how to use it properly.
c. So what I want you to remember from my speech today is that
more than 150 people die each winter from avalanches take the
safety precautions and go prepared so that youre not one of those
150 people who will never make it back.

Thanks for your time and have a great

day

Works cited page

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/naturaldisasters/avalanche-profile/
http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/212_fall2003.web.dir/Sarah_Schlichting/Slab.html
http://www.fsavalanche.org/encyclopedia/avalanche.htm
http://www.backcountry.com/arva-evolution-3-avalanche-beacon